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ANFIELD, TODAY KO 4.30PM KLOPP: LET’S DEFEAT CITY WITH KDB BACK
The Reds’ boss (right) has never hidden his admiration for the Manchester City playmaker who has been sidelined since injuring his knee in training.
The Belgian suffered ligament damage that was expected to keep him out for three months, but he will be in contention – possibly from the City bench – for the Anfield showdown.
And Klopp has no hang-ups about the 27-year-old’s return. Asked if he would give that the thumbs-up, he said: “Yes, 100 per cent. I really like him as a player.
“It’s his talent, skills, attitude and then, with all those things, his decision-making.
“Using those skills at the right moment.
“Of course, David Silva is not too bad at that, either. It’s the best combination to have.
“And Kevin is still at an age where he can improve. He’s 27, so there’s a lot more to come. He is an outstandingly nice fellow as well.
“And he’s made a really quick recovery. When did his injury happen? August? It’s now October – that’s really quick.
“I’m not sure what’s happened because you don’t get real information in England – that’s completely different to Germany, by the way.
“When I first heard about it, I didn’t think it would be that quick, but it’s always the target to return quickly.
“And, of course, we want to beat City – that’s no secret. We shall be trying that.
“But we want to beat the best City and Kevin De Bruyne, for sure, is part of the best City team.
“I’m not sure if Ilkay Gundogan can play or not, but he can fill that position pretty well. We will see.”
This fixture is already marked down as a potential title-decider.
Only goal difference separates the two sides at the moment.
And the potential swing in points already looks like having an impact on the race for the Premier League crown.
Klopp admitted that the fact Manchester City are improving “does not make life easy”.
He added: “They won’t stop. It doesn’t look as if any player could, or would, want to leave.
“If Barcelona think about a player, Manchester City are in there trying. They always have an answer and that makes them a tough opponent.
“But it’s like this. I grew up in a time when Boris Becker and Michael Stich were the best tennis players in Germany, maybe for a few years in the world.
“Stich was outstanding. He was maybe better than Becker – but he wasn’t Becker.
“We are in a similar situation. We cannot wait until Manchester City aren’t there any more.
“We want to fight them. We want to have good battles with them.
“We only play them twice a year.
“If we lose both games, we lose six points. That’s how it is – so let’s go for it.
“Whatever will be at the end, I don’t know.
“It’s not a big problem they are around... but it doesn’t make our lives any easier.”